| The World Of Jack Dempseys Tips & Techniques |
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| Capturing Cichlids in a Complex Aquarium
_____________ Catching cichlids out of a tank with lots of plants or rockwork is always difficult. After many fruitless attempts at catching some young adult Cichlasoma spilurum, I found a way to capture a few of them, using a gravel siphon. The fish always avoid any nets I put in the tank, but they are attracted to the gravel siphon because it often stirs up food. I discovered that some fish were so intent on following the siphon tube, that I could actually catch them in it. Then, I reached down and covered the end of the siphon with a net. Another technique is to insert your fish net in the tank every time you feed the fish, or at least for several weeks before you know you are going to need to net a bunch of fish. This way, the fish associate the net with feeding, and are not afraid of it when you insert it to catch them Inexpensive Plastic Plants ____________________________ Often in research we need large numbers of replicates and the cost of buying hundreds of things like plastic plants can be enormous. I found that you can make some useful plants for a Neotropical fish tank out of green garbage bags. Use only new garbage bags. These are not beautiful so I wouldn't put them in my living room tank, but they are highly functional in terms of providing physical structure in an aquarium. Start with a new green garbage bag. You don't need the full size bags unless you want really large plants. Cut it along the seams to make one large sheet. Cut that in half so you have two sheets; you now have enough material for two plants. You will also need either a 1 inch rock/pebble or a small handful of gravel, plus an elastic band. The rock serves as the base of the plant and keeps it from floating. Place the pebble or gravel in the middle of the bag and gather the plastic around it. Seal off the rock with the elastic. Now cut the plastic bag into strips heading towards the anchor, but don't cut them off. You now have leaves. If you are in a hurry, make a bunch of leaves about 1/2 to 1 inch wide. If you are feeling artistic, you can vary the shapes of the leaves. The end result is surprisingly good considering what it costs and how long it takes. Egg Crate Spawning Divider ___________________________ Large cichlids present special problems to the cichlid breeder. Because of their large size, they are able to rapidly inflict fatal injuries to a noncooperative spawning partner. One way to control this aggression is to not let the two individuals actually come in contact. Male cichlids are able to fertilize eggs a surprising distance away from their bodies (several inches to over a foot in some cases). We use this fact to our advantage by dividing the pair by a piece of "eggcrate", often used as a diffuser for fluorescent lights. The fish can see each other and sperm can easily pass through the egg crate, but the female is safe on her side of the barrier. Use a Background on your Aquarium ____________________ One of the best ways to ensure that your cichlids are comfortable in your aquarium is to put some sort of background on the back and sides of the tank. Partly this helps to make the tank look better, but more importantly it provides cover for the fish. Whether they believe that a picture of plants and wood and rock is actually made up of those things we do not know. But, it does seem clear that if there is such a background, the fish spend less time "worrying" about being attacked from that side. If cost is an issue, even a simple background will do. I use old fanfold computer paper or green plastic bags on my research tanks. |
| The World Of Jack Dempseys Tips & Techniques |
| The World Of Jack Dempseys Tips & Techniques |
| TIPS & TECHNIQUES |
| TIPS & TECHNIQUES |